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Penrose Family History

Penrose Surname Meaning

Cornish and Welsh: habitational name from any of the places called Penrose or Penrhos: twelve in Cornwall, one in Devon, several in Wales, and one in Herefordshire near the Welsh border.

The Cornwall and Devon placenames derive from Middle Cornish pen ros ‘hill's end’ (pen ‘head, top, end; promontory’, ros ‘promontory, hill spur’).

The Herefordshire and Wales placenames have the same meaning derived from the Welsh elements which correspond to Middle Cornish pen + ros.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Penrose family from?

You can see how Penrose families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Penrose family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Penrose families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 366 Penrose families living in Cornwall. This was about 35% of all the recorded Penrose's in United Kingdom. Cornwall had the highest population of Penrose families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Penrose surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Penrose ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Farmer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Penrose. 15% of Penrose men worked as a Farmer and 72% of Penrose women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Penrose were Dairy Farmer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Penrose | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • Farmer
    15%
  • General Labourer
    13%
  • Bricklayer
    6%
  • Dairy Farmer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    72%
  • Private Means
    4%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

What Penrose family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 41,000 census records available for the last name Penrose. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Penrose census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Penrose

Passenger Lists

There are 5,000 immigration records available for the last name Penrose. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Penrose immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 12,000 military records available for the last name Penrose. For the veterans among your Penrose ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Penrose military records

You've only scratched the surface of Penrose family history

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What is the average Penrose lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Penrose life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Penrose in 1943 was 41, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Penrose

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Penrose ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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